Velez (Argentina) vs River (Argentina)
Velez Sarsfield advanced to the round of 16 in a miraculous way after beating Estudiantes 4-0 at home, finishing in second spot in group C with eight points, seven of which were grabbed in the last three games. Last Saturday, El Fortin drew 1-1 away at Defensa y Justicia to make it five points in as many games in the Liga Profesional. Having won only one of the last four (along with one draw and two defeats), Alexander Medina’s men remain out of the continental places in the aggregate table. On a positive note, Velez won three of their last four home matches, only losing to Platense in that spell.
River Plate produced an almost perfect group stage (accumulating 16 points in six games) and closed it with an impressive 8-1 home win over Alianza Lima from Peru. Last Saturday, the team also beat Lanus 2-1 at home to make it two consecutive victories in league action and accumulate eight points in five rounds (five behind leaders). As a result, they continue occupying one of the Copa Libertadores places in the aggregate table. Furthermore, River lost only one of their last six away matches, winning three and drawing two.
River comes from scoring 7 in the last two games and you always have to expect goals when such a great attacking team plays so I’m going with the over here.